I am fro CO and have been skiing downhill since i was a kid, mostle bumps/trees. I'm moving to Germany for awhile and would like to get into AT. I am a mountaineer but have always usedsnowshoes...anyways...not sure what ski to get, been looking at dynafit, icelantic, liberty, 4FRNT, bluehouse, Klint, ski trab...too many types and decisions....looking for a light all around ski, but not sure what conditions in germany are like...any advice?

I don't know if you're still in Colorado or not, but, find a good ski shop that sells AT gear, etc, and go in and pick their brains, look at the gear, etc. Look on REI's website at their AT pg, and read up.

All the skis you mentioned, are all good, I'm sure. They mostly all have backcountry skis, but, I would strongly recommend visiting a ski shop(s), so that you can gain some firsthand knowledge, rather than trying to get everyone's opinion about what the best skis are, reading a zillion reviews on the web, etc. Nothing wrong with doing some homework on the web ahead of time, which you can do from the links, etc, but, going into a shop will allow you to talk with a presumably knowledgeablesalesperson, put your hands on the various products, size everything up, etc.

As for conditions in Germany, I can't comment on. But, look for Charles in the forums,(hangs out a bit in Offroute!), and send him a pm. He lives in Germany, skis backcountry, I believe, and would be a good person and resource for that info.